Fifteen officers resigned their commissions to be sworn in as Army Criminal Investigation special agent warrant officers during a CID Special Agent Course transition ceremony Feb. 22 at Lincoln Hall Auditorium.

The opportunity came as part of Military Personnel Message 15-359, Officer Application Requirements for Appointment to CID Warrant Officer, which sought officers in the ranks of first lieutenant, captain and chief warrant officer 2 who were interested in becoming special agents in CID.

"These individuals chose to resign their commissions in order to pursue a career involving investigations and protective services, which MP officers are excluded from," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jennifer Pellegrini, U.S. Army Military Police School Investigative Division chief.

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Edgar Collins, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation command chief warrant officer and guest speaker for the ceremony, said these officers were setting a standard with their decision to resign their commissions to accept new roles in CID and were bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience with them.

"You are breaking new ground, for never before has CID taken in such a large group of 'CID-inexperienced' Soldiers straight into our warrant-officer ranks," he said. "You are already bringing with you the leadership traits and skills you learned as an officer, and you will be applying them while you are a warrant officer."

In their roles, CID special agent warrant officers are leaders and staff officers who manage all aspects of felony criminal investigations in all operational environments. They plan, organize and supervise criminal investigative, protective services and rule-of-law operations.

"The new warrant officers will most likely be filling supervisory positions," she added. "However, they themselves will be apprentice agents for one year, so the special agents in charge of them will closely monitor their progress as both an agent and a supervisor of other agents."

Collins offered a few words of advice for the new warrant officers.

"I want you to remember that the CID warrant officer is the protector of the mission, and the mission is felony criminal investigations and protection," he said. "The commanders in this great Army depend upon us to give it to them straight and honest."

The program had previously only had transitions on a case-by-case basis, and it was infrequent, Pellegrini said. This was the first time a mass transition ceremony was held for this program.